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iPhone 5 impressions

iPhone 5 Review

So… I got an iPhone 5 a week ago. Yeah, I know… a bit late, but it was sort of impossible to get one out of a contract until Apple started selling it unlocked in the U.S.. Anyway, I would like to share my impressions about it and offer some buying advice to those who are still deciding about their next smartphone. The unit I am using is a white 32GB iPhone 5 (AT&T model).

Phone 5 vs. iPhone 4S

The obvious question is: “How does it compare to the iPhone 4S?”. Well, let’s take a look. For starters, the iPhone 5 box, like the phone itself, is volumetrically smaller than its predecessor’s. The package design shows Apple’s typical attention to detail, featuring an elegant design and near-boring precision in fitting the contents inside the box. The iPhone 5 ships with a charger, USB to Lightning cable, the new EarPods earbuds and manuals.

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S: Box
The box design is more elegant and it is smaller.

The iPhone 5 features a new design. The front is very similar to what we are used to, except by the positioning of the FaceTime Camera and taller screen. The glass on the front is much thinner, and combined with the new display with integrated touch sensors (30% thinner than the previous generation), it makes not only the iPhone 5 thinner overall, but also makes the images sharper and improve performance under the sunlight.

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S: Front
In the front, little changes. You may notice the new Lightning connector on the bottom.

Speaking of thickness, the iPhone 5 is actually one of the thinnest and lightest phones in the market at the moment. At 7.6mm thick and weighing only 112g, it is thinner and lighter than every other phone I’ve ever used, including the Samsung Galaxy S II, which was the previous record setter for me. When compared to the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5 makes it feel like a brick.

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S: Thickness
It is considerably thinner than the iPhone 4S.

The back of the iPhone 5 is very different from its predecessor’s. It now combines anodized aluminum 6000 (the same type used on MacBooks) and glass on the top and bottom. The same aluminum is used on the frame around the phone, which has a very elegant beveled edge. On the bottom side of the frame, the headphone jack joins the Lightning connector, speaker and microphone. The downside of using aluminum is that it is more prone to scratching than the previously used stainless steel. Like the original iPhone, the back will get some scratches if you are not careful. If you like to keep your phone pristine, I recommend a case. My case of choice for iPhones is Caze Zero 5, which protects the phone from minor incidents while keeping its visual identity.

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S: Back
The back changed radically. Glass goes away, aluminum comes in.

The new display is bigger than the one we have seen so far on iPhones. The iPhone 5 features a 4”, 16:9 Retina display with a 1136×640 resolution (326 ppi). This means the display is the same width as the iPhone 4S’s, but a bit bigger on the height. It is good news for your hands, since the phone will feel good in your hands as before, unlike other large phones in the market. The display itself is much better than the one in the iPhone 4S, with more color accuracy. For the photographers out there, it means the display has full sRGB gamut. As Anandtech has put it, the iPhone 5 display has out-of-the-box high end monitor performance.

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S: Height
The display: same width, slightly taller.

In the inside, the iPhone 5 features an Apple A6 processor, which offers twice as fast performance when compared to the iPhone 4S A5 chip. In practice, everything feels faster on the iPhone 5, but this does not mean the iPhone 4S is slow. In fact, it is much snappier than most Windows Phone devices and Android phones running Jelly Bean. In most cases, the increase in speed on the iPhone 5 is only noticeable when comparing it with the iPhone 4S side by side. The only exception is high-end games, where the iPhone 5 advantage is clear.

Another small change is in the camera. It now features a sapphire lens cover, which is less prone to scratching, but flares more than the iPhone 4S lens. The lens itself is a bit wider at 4.13mm, versus 4.28mm on the iPhone 4S (33mm versus 35mm in 35mm equivalence). The improvements in the camera are not in the optics or sensor, but in the image processor included in the A6 chip, which delivers adaptive noise filtering and higher (processed) ISO for low-light photos. For videos, the iPhone 5 feels the same as the iPhone 4S. The 1080p video captures I made look the same as before in terms of image quality.

The FaceTime camera has also improved and is now capable of 720p video (1.2 megapixel photos) and is actually usable for anything besides FaceTime chats.

Battery life has improved a lot. I haven’t have the opportunity to test the iPhone 5 on LTE networks yet, but on HSPA+ networks, it lasts much more than the iPhone 4S. In my typical usage (and I am a heavy user), I still haven’t run out of juice, which is common while using the iPhone 4S.

And last, but not the least, there is the new Lightning connector. The new connector is much better than the old 30-pin connector, but comes with a tradeoff. You will lose all those old cables and accessories you had until now. For early adopters who already got the new iPad (4th generation) or the iPad Mini, the switch will be less painful (but not less costly), as these people will have to replace all their cables and accessories at once anyway. If the iPhone 5 is the only device you have that uses the new Lightning connector, then you might be in hell, as you will have to live with two cables or many adapters. Every transition is painful, but this one might upset many people.

LTE

The iPhone 5 got the long-awaited LTE connectivity, but since LTE is non-standardized throughout the world, it means that your iPhone 5 will only connect to LTE networks at the radio bands it was designed for. There are currently 3 iPhone 5 models on sale:

  • A1428: the AT&T model, which supports LTE bands 4 and 17.
  • A1429 (CDMA): the Sprint/Verizon model, which supports LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 13 and 25.
  • A1429 (GSM): the Europe/Asia model, which supports LTE bands 1, 3 and 5.

It is still a world phone, in the sense that it will connect to all 3G (HSPA+) and DC-HSDPA networks, but if you want LTE speeds, you are mostly tied to your local carrier. All the phones (including the CDMA model) have a SIM slot and will connect to GSM networks. In fact, the CDMA models are actually SIM-unlocked, which means you can buy one from Verizon, for instance, and then use a T-Mobile SIM on it. The SIM card also changed and is now a nano-SIM.

Another welcome networking update is the addition of 802.11a/n support at 5GHz.

Software

The iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6 installed, which means I already reviewed it and you can read about it here. Nothing has changed much in the latest updates and, yes, Apple Maps is still incomplete.

Conclusion and recommendations

The iPhone 5 is a great phone overall. The new design addresses one of my biggest complaints about the iPhone 4 and 4S: the weight. I also liked the way Apple managed to deliver a larger screen without sacrificing usability — the phone still feels great in your hands. Feature-wise, it won’t impress much. Besides the addition of LTE, the faster processor and small improvements in the camera are not enough to convince iPhone 4S users to upgrade. Like I said in the iPhone 5 announcement, the smartphone market has reached maturity and the iPhone product line will probably behave like the Mac from now on: only incremental upgrades every year, with a few small breakthroughs every now and then. So if you don’t feel compelled to upgrade your iPhone 4S now, you are not alone and you are not insane.

In short, my recommendation is to wait for the next generation if you have the iPhone 4S. If you have the iPhone 4 or the 3GS, then get the iPhone 5. The leap is huge and you will feel that your money was well spent. If you don’t own an iPhone (or any smartphone) and want to get into the Apple ecosystem, then the iPhone 5 is the best entry door to show up since the iPhone 3GS. And don’t forget that the connector changed. Plan ahead (and budget accordingly) to get the cables, adapters and accessories you will need.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

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